Alabama-Clemson part 3, semifinal 2,  kicks off tomorrow night at 7:45 CT in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia-Oklahoma in semifinal 1 kicks off at 4 PM CT in the Rose Bowl. Auburn squares off with Central Florida at 11:30 AM CT in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Here’s a look at all 3 thrillers on a massive day in college football. 

Semifinal 2

No.4 Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC) vs No.1 Clemson (12-1, 7-1 ACC)

AllState Sugar Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, 76,468

7:45 PM CT

ESPN

Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge

Refs, PAC-12, Land Clark

Alabama by 3

Coaches

Nick Saban, Alabama, 66 years old

11 years, 125-20, 86%, SEC 72-13, 85%. 4 National Championships, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015. Another at LSU in 2003.

Dabo Swinney, 48 years old

10 years, 101-29, 78%, 61-16 ACC, 79%. 1 National Championship 2016. Runner-up in 2015

Alabama

QB Jalen Hurts: 136-of-224, 61%, 15 TDs, 1 int. 768 rushing yards, 8 TDs.

Leading rushers: Damien Harris, 110-906 yards, 8.2 per carry, 11 TDs. Bo Scarbrough, 105-549, 5.1, 8 TDs. Najee Harris, 55-306, 5.6, 3 TDs. Joshua Jacobs, 43-276, 6.4, 1 TD, 12 receptions, 165, 2 TDs. 

Leading receivers: Calvin Ridley, 55-806, 3 TDs. Scarbrough, 14-92. Cam Sims, 12-259, 1 TD. Jerry Jeudy, 13-122, 3 TDs. Henry Ruggs, 7-175, 5 TDs.

Leading tackler: Ronnie Harrison, 68.

Rashaan Evans leads the team in tackles for loss with 10 and sacks with 5.

Levi Wallace, Ronnie Harrison and Mack Wilson lead the team with 3 interceptions apiece.

Quite possibly the best player on the team, and that’s a high bar, Minkah Fitzpatrick, has 52 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 1/2 sacks, and 1 int.

Kicking game: Punter J.K. Scott has a 43.4 yard average on punts, and Andy Pappanastos has converted 15 of 19 kicks and is 51-of-51 in extra points.

Clemson

Passing: Kelly Bryant, 244-of-362, 67%, 2,678 uards, 13 TDs, 6 ints.

Rushing: Travis Etienne, 103-744, 7.2, 13 TDs. Tavien Feaster, 103-659, 6.4, 7 TDs. Bryant, 173-646, 3.7, 11 TDs. Adam Choice, 62-312, 5.0, 6 TDs. C.J. Fuller, 58-217, 3.7, 3 TDs. 

Receivers: Hunter Renfrow, 55-571, 3 TDs. Deon Cain, 52-659, 6 TDs. Ray-Ray McCloud, 46-502, 1 TD.

Leading tackler, Kendall Joseph, 86 tackles. 

Defensive end Clelin Ferrell has 17 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks to lead the team. Defensive end Austin Bryant has 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has 9 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has 2 1/2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. The Fearsome Foursome, the Steel Curtain, these guys are all that.

Kicking game: Will Spiers averages 41 yards per punt, kicker Alex Spence is 7-for-12 on kicks and 41-of-43 on extra points. The explosive Ray-Ray McCloud averages 12.1 yards per punt return and has taken one to the house.

Analysis and decision

Wow, this is as close as it gets in terms of elite talent and exceptional coaching. Talent is pretty much a wash, as is coaching. The game will be won in the trenches, in quarterback play, in the running game and who wins the turnover battle. I’ve studied this game pretty extensively, and I like 2 things. Alabama’s ability to run on Clemson, despite the massive line of the Tigers. Bo Scarbrough ran for 93 yards on 16 carries and 2 TDs before going out with a broken leg in the 3rd quarter of last year’s national title game. Jalen Hurts ran for 63 yards and what looked like the game winning TD run from 30 yards with 2:31 left in the game. Deshaun Watson brought the Tigers back however and they scored in a 2 yard pass from Watson to Renfrow with 1 second left in the game. 

But I like Alabama’s ability to run the ball in this game and that sounds nonsensical against this massive Clemson front until you look at the numbers from last year’s game. If Scarbrough had not gotten hurt, the Tide could very well have won. I’m not saying they would have, but Scarbrough was unstoppable in that game. it’s taken him time this season to get back to that form, and I don’t see him as there yet. Maybe tomorrow night. He’s quite a talent. With Bo, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs along with Hurts, Alabama can run the football. The Tide front of Bradley Bozeman, Jonah Williams, Ross Pierschbacher and company will have to be very good to make this happen. I like them to step up.

Another advantage I see for the Crimson Tide is the experience at quarterback for Alabama.. Hurts has played in many big games in his young career as the Crimson Tide signal caller. Bryant, while very good, has not played in a game of this magnitude. Both have super targets with Alabama having Ridley, Jeudy, Cam Sims and Henry Ruggs III to me will be a factor. Clemson has the great Ray Ray McCloud, Hunter Renfrow and Deon Cain.

So those are 2 points. And a 3rd, I like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison to play roles in the turnover game. I see them getting ints. Rashaan Evans will be super as will Da’Shawn Hand who wants to put on a show in his last game in a Crimson Tide uniform. The linebackers are reasonably healthy as Mack Wilson, Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis are back from injury. Dylan Moses is out, as is Shaun Dion Hamilton, but with Evans, it’s now a formidable and effective group. Clemson has playmakers on the second level too, but Clemson’s main strength is up front. 

Finally, I watched Mississippi State defeat Louisville yesterday in the Taxslayer Bowl and then watched Wisconsin pretty much waste Miami in the Orange Bowl.

So I like the team that has those advantages I listed above. These are 2 sensational teams, but the Crimson Tide moves on to the national championship game Monday, January 8, 2018 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Alabama 28, Clemson 24

 

Semifinal 1

No.2 Oklahoma (12-1, 8-1 Big 12) vs. No.3 Georgia (12-1, 7-1 SEC)

Rose Bowl 

Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA. 92,542

4 PM CT

ESPN

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor, Tom Rinaldi

Referees: ACC, Jeff Heaser

Georgia by 2 1/2

Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma has completed 262-of-369 passes, 71%, for 4,340 yards, 41 TDs and just 5 ints. Mayfield has also rushed for 310 yards and 5 TDs. Quite astounding stuff. Rodney Anderson is an exceptional back who’s rushed for 960 yards and 11 TDs. Anderson has also caught 16 passes for 283 yards and 5 more TDs. Trey Sirmon is just about as good as Anderson. He’s rushed for 710 yards and 5 TDs. Tight end Mark Andrews is a superb player having caught 58 passes for 906 yards and 8 TDs. Wide receivers Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb have caught 49 and 40 passes respectively. Brown has posted 6 TDs and Lamb 7. On defense, the guy for OU is outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo who has registered 17 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. Cornerback Parnell Mobley has 2 interceptions, tied for the team lead with safety William Johnson. Mobley has returned 1 for a TD.

For Georgia, it’s about that running game and play action passing along with their stout defense. The awesome Nick Chubb has rushed for 1,175 yards and 13 TDs. The just as talented and super Sony Michel has rushed for 948 yards and 13 TDs as well. A guy to look out for in the Georgia backfield also is outstanding freshman D’Andre Swift, who has rushed for 597 yards and 3 TDs and was awesome in the SEC Championship game versus Auburn, a 28-7 Dawgs’ victory. Freshman Jake Fromm has taken the reins under center admirably for Kirby Smart, completing 145-of-230, 63%, for 2,173 yards, 21 TDs against only 5 interceptions. He’s going to be a superb football player at Georgia. He already is really. Fromm’s key targets are Javon Wims, who has 38 receptions for 631 yards and 6 TDs, and Terry Godwin, who has caught 29 passes for 540 yards and 6 TDs also. Mecole Hardman is a weapon in the passing game, having caught 22 passes for 323 yards and 3 TDs, and in the punt return and kickoff return games where he averages 10.8 yards on punt returns and 27.3 yards on kickoff returns.

The Dawgs are good on defense as well. Linebacker Roquan Smith is the main guy and leader. He leads the team in tackles with 113, he has 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks. He’s an All-American like many of these players in the playoffs. Safety Dominick Sanders leads the team in interceptions with 3. 

Final decision

I like a high scoring affair here. Mayfield has been battling flu like symptoms, so that’s something to look for in the fourth quarter, his fitness. Mack Brown brought that up recently and it was a good point. Mayfield and that OU scoring machine lead the nation in total offense at 583 yards per game and are 4th in scoring offense at 44.9 points per game. Georgia has the number 3 scoring defense in the country allowing 13.2 points per game, but they can’t shut this offense down completely. It’s impossible. But I like Georgia’s offense against Oklahoma’s defense, which is 50th in the country in scoring defense allowing 25 points per game. That’s doable if you have an offense scoring 45, but can be troublesome when you meet up with a quality offense like the Dawgs, which also have a quality defense. 

This should be a high octane game offensively, I like the Dawgs to score 3 more points than the Sooners and play enough defense in the end and get a key interception or fumble recovery to seal it.

Georgia 42, Oklahoma 38

 

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 12 UCF (13-0, 8-0 American) vs. No.7 Auburn (10-3, 7-1 SEC)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 71,000

11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

Referees, Big 12, Brandon Cruise

Auburn by 10

The 2 key things coming into this game, at least from my perspective, was the health of Kerryon Johnson and the chatter by the Golden Knights. Johnson, who led the SEC in rushing with 1,320 yards and added an SEC second best 17 rushing TDs, says he’s healthy, Gus Malzahn says Johnson’s ready to go, so I agree, he’s ready. But not only will Kerryon need to play well, so will Jarrett Stidham, who has completed 218-of-327 passes, 67%, for 2,827 yards, 17 TDs against only 4 interceptions. Stidham was pretty terrific when Auburn got on a tear in the latter half of the season and sensational against the Crimson Tide in a 26-14 Auburn victory, but struggled with Johnson not near 100 percent in the SEC title game. A healthy Johnson really helps Stidham. Stidham’s main target, the awesome Ryan Davis, caught 76 passes for 768 yards and 5 TDs. Darius Slayton added 23 receptions for 574 yards and 5 TDs. Johnson was an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He caught 23 passes for 188 yards and 2 TDs. He also threw a jump pass for a TD against Alabama. On defense, the great defensive end Jeff Holland is a one man disruptive force for the Tigers. Holland posted 11 1/2 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks. He’s a sensational player. Linebacker Deshaun Davis led the team in tackles with 75 and posted 7 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Super cornerback Carlton Davis is unfortunately out for this game, so Nick Ruffin or Jeremiah Dinson will need to fill in and play well. Stellar safety Tray Matthews is second on the team with 53 tackles and has an int and is the leader on defense. 

Central Florida plays some really good offense with quarterback McKenzie Milton having completed 249-of-360 passes, 69%, for 3,795 yards, 35 TDs and 9 ints. His leading target is Tre’Quan Smith, who has 54 receptions for 1,082 yards and 13 TDs. Running back Adrian Killins is the leading rusher having rushed for 762 yards and 10 TDs. Outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin is the leader on defense and a stellar player. There was a terrific story on Griffin in Sports Illustrated 3 weeks ago or so. He lost his right hand when he was 4 because of a disease he was born with, but he has registered 10 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks and looks like a serious NFL prospect since he’s a senior. it’s a pretty moving story. He’s had to battle through the handicap, but has made himself a fantastic football player. Safety Kyle Gibson and corner Mike Hughes lead the Golden Knights in interceptions with 4 apiece. Hughes has taken one back to the house. UCF has 18 interceptions on the season, tied for 10th nationally. 

Final decision

Auburn’s a really good football team. They’ve had a super year and the future is incredibly bright on the Plains. I have a feeling the Tigers are angry with some of UCF’s talking with one of their players saying the SEC is not as fast as their team. That’s not the case. I like Kerryon to play well and Auburn to take care of business in Atlanta. UCF may keep it pretty close for a while, but I like the Tigers to play well and get the job done Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Auburn 45, UCF 28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TaxSlayer Bowl

Louisville (8-4, 4-4 ACC) vs. No. 23 Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC)

EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL. 67, 164

11 AM CT

ESPN

Tom Hart, JRodg, Cole

Whistles, Big Ten, Jerry McGinn

‘Ville by 7

This has the makings of a blowout. Mississippi State is without its starting quarterback, Nick Fitzgerald, who is out till the spring or maybe even fall practice of 2018. Lamar Jackson could go berserk in this one.

Louisville 42, State 24

 

Liberty Bowl

Iowa State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) vs. No. 20 Memphis (10-2, 7-1 American)

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, 61,008

11:30 AM CT

ABC

Mike Patrick, Tubby, Paul Carcaterra

Refs: ACC, Duane Heydt

Memphis by 4

I like quarterback Riley Ferguson and the Memphis Tigers to have a big day, but in a competitive game. Iowa State can put some points on the board, too.

Memphis 45, Iowa State 40

 

Fiesta Bowl

No. 11 Washington (10-2, 7-2 PAC-12) vs. No.9 Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten)

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ. 63,400

3 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Gregory, Lugues

Refs, Big 12 Dan Defee, some serious artillery on those arms

Penn State by 3

I’m going with the slight upset here. Chris Peterson and the Huskies take down the Nittany Lions in a classic.

Washington 38, Penn State 35

 

Orange Bowl

No.6 Wisconsin (12-1, 9-0 Big Ten) vs No. 10 Miami (10-2, 7-1 ACC)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 65,326

7 PM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Grease, Molly McGrath, McShay

Laundry, SEC, Matt Loeffler

Whisky by 6

Going with the Canes in another upset.

Miami 35, Wisconsin 31

 

Monday

Outback Bowl

Michigan (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) vs. South Carolina (8-4, 5-3)

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL. 65,890

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath

Refs, ACC,  Stuart Mullins

Michigan by 7 1/2

I like James and the Wolverines, but expecting a very competitive game.

Michigan 27, South Carolina 24

 

Citrus Bowl 

No. 14 Notre Dame (9-3) vs. No. 17 LSU (9-3, 6-2 SEC)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, 65,438

12 PM

ABC

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich

Refs, Big 12,  Cooper Castleberry.

LSU by 3

I’m looking at a blowout here. Derrius Guice and the Tigers run all over the Irish.

LSU 45, Notre Dame 17

 

Tomorrow afternoon

Previews, predictions

Playoff Semifinal 1: Rose Bowl

No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Oklahoma

4 PM CT, ESPN

Playoff Semifinal 2: Sugar Bowl

No.4 Alabama vs. No.1 Clemson

7:45 PM CT, ESPN

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

No.7 Auburn vs. No. 12 UCF

11:30 AM CT ESPN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Belk Bowl pitting Wake Forest versus Texas A&M, the Sun Bowl featuring N.C. State versus Arizona State, the Music City Bowl pitting Kentucky-Northwestern, the Nova Loans Arizona Bowl featuring New Mexico State vs Utah State and the featured matchup of the day, the Cotton Bowl, pitting Ohio State vs USC are on the slate today for bowl season. Now we’re into some major bowl action. It’s all been good and it’s getting even better starting today. Here’s a look at the action.

Yesterday

Navy 49, Virginia 7, Military Bowl

Midshipmen quarterback Zack Abey, filling in for an injured Malcolm Perry, scored 5 TDs and ran for 88 yards in the Navy rout. Perry ran for 114 and 2 TDs before he left the game with an injury, and fullback Chris High added 101 yards. Super performance by the Academy. Navy finishes 7-5 while UVA fell to 6-7. Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo aims to get his Midshipmen squad back to the 8 to 10 win threshold next season and “Beat Army!”

Oklahoma State 30, Virginia Tech 21, Camping World Bowl

Mason Rudolph completed 21-of-32 passes for 351 yards and 2 TDs, Justice Hill rushed for 120 yards and a TD, and the Cowboys survived a super effort by Virginia Tech which was missing some players. Bud Foster and his Hokie defense gave Mike Gundy and his offense everything they wanted. Rudolph now looks forward to late April and the NFL Draft. Ok State finishes the season 10-3, VA. Tech dropped to 9-4, but building for a solid future. Ok. State even aiming for higher heights next year, a conference championship, a playoff or New Year’s Six Bowl berth. The sky’s the limit for both programs. 

Michigan State 42, Washington State 17, Holiday Bowl

Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke completed 13-of-21 passes for 213 yards and 3 TDs, and the awesome L.J. Scott rushed for 110 yards and 2 TDs as the Spartans capped off a stellar season finishing 10-3 by blasting the Cougars, which fell to 9-4. 

TCU 39, Stanford 37, Valero Alamo Bowl

The Horned Frogs (11-3) came back from a 21-3 first half deficit to capture the victory behind Kenny Hill’s 314 yards passing. Hill threw a couple of interceptions, but also tossed 2 TDs. A gigantic 4th quarter, 76 yard punt return for a TD by senior Desmon White, was the game changing play that put TCU ahead 36-30. Stanford finished the season 9-5. The superb Bryce Love rushed for 145 yards and 2 TDs including a 69 yard gallop for a 7. Love is a junior and will decide whether to come out for the draft or return to school for his senior season. Proud of him for playing in the game. He could have easily sat it out like Christian McCaffrey did last year, but he showed a lot of character and played for his team. He wants to go to med school and become a doctor eventually, so there is a chance he will return to Stanford for his senior year. it would be sensational for college football if he did. Love represents the best of college football. Can’t say enough about Bryce. He may want to go ahead and play in the league, but if he came back, look out for him and the Cardinal in 2018.

Today

Belk Bowl

Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 SEC) vs Wake Forest (7-5, 4-4 ACC)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C., 75,412

12 PM CT

ESPN

Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer, Kris Budden

Refs: PAC-12, Steve Strimling

Wake by 3

The Aggies will be commandeered by special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Jeff Banks as the team awaits the Jimbo Fisher era in College Station. Both Nick Starkel and Kellen Mond will play quarterback for the Aggies today in all likelihood. Starkel completed 81-of-142 passes, 57%, for 1,294 yards, 10 TDs and 5 ints while missing several games with a broken ankle. Mond, a true freshman, showed signs of being a really good quarterback for the Aggies this year and in the future, He was 117-of-227, 52%, for 1,375 yards, 8 TDs and 5 interceptions. He was inconsistent, but has a chance to do some super things under Fisher in the upcoming years. Of course, Starkel is a redshirt freshman, so this could be an audition for next year with both quarterbacks making their first statement to start in 2018. Wake is favored and they have a very good quarterback in John Wolford, who completed 207-of-325 passes, 64%, for 2,792 yards, 25 TDs against only 6 ints, but I like the fact that A&M has been through the SEC wars and they’re probably fired up that Fisher is coming in and want to impress him today. Watch for the awesome Christian Kirk, a junior, who’s returned a punt and a kickoff for TDs this season and now has 7 kick returns for TDs in  his career, 1 kickoff and 6 punt house calls, along with 22 TDs receiving, to have a massive impact on this game and be the difference maker. 

Texas A&M 38, Wake Forest 35

 

Hyundai Sun Bowl

No. 24 North Carolina State (8-4, 6-2 ACC) vs Arizona State (7-5, 6-3 PAC-12)

Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX., 51,500

2 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Allie

Refs, Big Ten, Mike Cannon

N.C. State by 7

I look for N.C. State’s big, powerful defensive end Bradley Chubb to have a massive day. Chubb, a senior and a likely first round pick, has 26 tackles for loss on the season, 2nd in the country only to Northern Illinois’ Sutton Smith, who has 29 1/2. He also posted 10 sacks, which is tied for 7th in the country. Joe Ostman of Central Michigan led with 14.  I see Chubb really impressing the scouts. N.C. State’s Ryan Finley is a solid quarterback who completed 287-of-449 passes, 64%, for 3,196 yards, 16 TDs against 6 interceptions. Running back Nyheim HInes rushed for 1,040 yards and 9 TDs this season. So this is a potent team on both sides of the ball. The Sun Devils are going through a coaching change with Herm Edwards taking over. The Zona State administration gave Todd Graham a bad deal when they fired him after Graham had just beaten Arizona to go 7-5 this season and 46-31 in 6 seasons. . We’ll see if Edwards can transition back to the sidelines from the broadcasting arena and be successful. That’s questionable to me. 

N.C. State 35, Zona State 27

 

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Kentucky (7-5, 4-4 SEC) vs. No. 21 Northwestern (9-3, 7-2, Big Ten)

NIssan Stadium, Nashville, 69,143

3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Taylor Zarzour, Andre, Olivia Harlan

Refs, PAC-12, Chris Coyte

Northwestern by 8

This is a battle of running backs as Kentucky’s Benny Snell Jr., who rushed for 1,318 yards and an SEC leading 18 rushing TDs, squares off against the Northwestern Wildcats’ Justin Jackson, who rushed for 1,154 yards and 9 TDs, and became only the 9th player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in 4 consecutive seasons. Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson completed 61% of his passes and posted 15 TDs, but he also threw 12 ints. Kentucky’s Stephen Johnson was pretty erratic at times too, completing 61% of his passes, a good percentage, for 2,048 yards, 10 TDs against 4 ints. But he struggled down the stretch. 

This game looks like a Northwestern victory, but I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Kentucky Wildcats. Really believe in Benny Snell Jr.

Kentucky 35, Northwestern 34

Nova Loans Arizona Bowl

Arizona Stadium, Tuscon, AZ. 57,400

4:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous, Melanie Collins

Refs: C-USA, Rodney Burnette

Utah State by 4 1/2

Like the Utah State Aggies over the New Mexico State Aggies in a battle of similar mascots again today.

Utah State 35, New Mexico State 30

 

Tonight

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

No.5 Ohio State (11-2, 8-1 BIg Ten) vs. No. 8 USC (11-2, 8-1 PAC-12)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX. 100,000

7:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

Refs: SEC, David Smith

Ohio State by 7 1/2

Classic matchup here. The Buckeyes and the Trojans are led by sometimes spectacular, sometimes not so swift quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Sam Darnold of the aforementioned Buckeyes and Trojans respectively. Barrett has put together a terrific year most of the time, completing 65% of his passes for 2,928 yards, with 35 TDs against 9 interceptions. Still he can be questionable with his accuracy at times. He can also be sensational. Darnold has been more erratic than Barrett, completing 64% of his passes for 3,787 yards, 26 TDs but 12 interceptions. He has also lost 7 fumbles for 19 total turnovers this season. NFL scouts will be watching him both for his assets and his deficiencies. Barrett will be watched closely, too.

There are some super running backs in this game as well. Freshman J.K. Dobbins has rushed for 1,384 yards and 7 TDs for the Buckeyes. Barrett, who can really scamper, rushed for 743 yards and 10 TDs, and Mike Weber rushed for 608 yards and 10 TDs. On the Trojans’ side, Ronald Jones has put together a superb year, rushing for 1,486 yards and 18 TDs along with another TD receiving. Freshman Stephen Carr has been hurt a good bit of  this season, but he’s electric. He rushed for only 363 yards and 3 TDs, but he was limited with injuries, and when he played was very explosive. He’s the next great USC running back. 

At wide receiver for the Buckeyes, Terry McLaurin is a major target. He caught 28 passes for 434 yards and 6 TDs. Johnnie Dixon only caught 18 passes, but 8 of them were for TDs. Binjimen Victor caught 23 passes, 7 for TDs.

For the Trojans, Deontay Burnett caught 74 passes for 975 yards and 9 TDs. Burnett is an electric playmaker. Tyler Vaughns caught 51 passes for 690 yards and 5 TDs, and their super tight end, Tyler Petite, caught 22 passes for 305 yards and 3 TDs. Look for Darnold to be finding Petite some tonight. He’s a weapon.

Sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa led the Buckeyes in tackles for loss with 14 1/2, and sacks with 7. Safety Damon Webb led the team in interceptions with 4. For USC, leading tackler linebacker Cameron Smith (102 tackles) is out with injury, but stellar defensive end Christian Rector is tied for the lead in tackles for loss with 11 1/2,. He is tied with the other bookend Rasheem Green. Green leads the team in sacks with 9. Rector is second with 7 1/2. They are disruptive forces coming off the edges.

Final Analysis

The Trojans survived a lot of injuries this season and won the PAC-12, which is always a regular season goal for them. Now they face a loaded Buckeyes team particularly on offense. They are still pretty banged up, but healthier, however I don’t see them having enough explosiveness to defeat the Big Ten champion Buckeyes. J.T. Barrett ends his Ohio State career with an exclamation point and Darnold is shaky again. But I’m expecting an excellent game. 

Ohio State 42, USC 34 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a look at today’s four games. 

Bowl record: 9-11

Overall: 219-91, 71%

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Gruman

Virginia (6-6, 3-5 ACC) vs. Navy (6-6, 4-4 American)

Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis, MD. (34,000)

12:30 PM CT

ESPN

Clay Matvick, Kirk Morrison, Alex Corddry

Whistles, Big 12, Dan Romeo

Navy by 1

Navy’s triple option offense was 2nd in the country in rushing offense averaging 343 yards per game, second only to Army. The Midshipmen lost a tough one to the Cadets on December 9th in Philly, 14-13, but quarterback Malcolm Perry rushed for 250 yards on the game and a TD while almost single handedly beating the Cadets from West Point. But Army prevailed and then added a huge upset victory over San Diego State, 39-38, in the Armed Forces Bowl, in which they went for 2 in the last minute and made it. Army capped off a 10-3 season, and Jeff Monken has it going at West Point. Still, Navy has been stellar over the years and has been the standard for the service academies until the last 2 years in which Army has caught up.

Malcolm Perry should start at quarterback after his performance in America’s Game. He rushed for 1,068 yards and 9 TDs. Zach Abey, who started most of the season, rushed for 1,325 yards and 14 TDs, and is a better passer than Perry, having completed 31-of-71 for 805 yards and 7 TDs against 7 ints. Abey’s not great throwing the ball, but both quarterbacks will play depending on the situation in the game. Perry only threw 2 passes this season, completing 1 for 5 yards and a TD, but threw an interception in his other attempt. Chris High rushed for 520 yards and 2 TDs and is a tough fullback particularly on the dive play. Good blocker, too. Tyler Carmona is the Academy’s top receiver.  Carmona has caught 14 passes for 381 yards and 4 TDs. On defense, linebacker Micah Thomas led the team in tackles with 81. and added a team leading 3 interceptions. Linebacker D. J. Palmore led the team in tackles for loss with 12 1/2, and in sacks with 2 1/2.

For Virginia, they reached their first bowl game since 2011 under second year coach Bronco Mendenhall who came to CVille from BYU. Quarterback Kurt Benkert has passed for 3,062 yards, 25 TDs against 8 interceptions. He’s pretty good, but struggled in a 10-0 loss to Virginia Tech in the final game of the season at home. Navy gives up 221 passing yards per game, which is 61st in the country. Virginia’s leading rusher is Jordan Ellis who tallied 799 yards and 6 TDs. Their leading receiver is Andre Levrone, who caught 31 passes for 662 yards and 7 TDs. Doni Dowling caught 48 passes for 632 yards and 5 TDs. On defense, inside linebacker Micah Kiser posted 132 tackles, 7th in the country, and added 9 1/2 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Free safety Quin Blanding added 120 tackles and 4 interceptions, one of which he took back to the house. Two other Virginia defensive players had 4 ints, safety Brenton Nelson and cornerback Juan Thornhill. 

Final Analysis

This is going to be a highly competitive game, but I went against Army last Saturday. I thought I was going with them all last week, then changed my mind on Saturday and it cost me. I liked the Midshipmen from the beginning of this matchup, and I’ll go with my original instinct. Like Malcolm Perry and Navy to get the job done today in a heckuva game.

Navy 30, Virginia 28

 

Camping World Bowl

Virginia Tech (9-3, 5-3 ACC) vs. Oklahoma State 9-3, 6-3 Big 12)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando FL, 65,00

4:15 PM CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

Stripes: Big Ten,  John O’Neill

OK. State by 5 1/2

Virginia Tech posted another solid season under Justin Fuente finsihing 9-3 and defeating Virginia, 10-0, with a stellar performance by Bud Foster’s defense. But this is a tall order defending the second ranked total offense in the country that averaged 575 yards, second only to Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma which averaged 583 yards per game. Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 297-of-457 passes for 4,553 yards, 35 TDs and 9 ints. His leading receiver is the awesome James Washington who caught 69 passes for 1,423 yards and 12 TDs. Marcell Ateman added 54 receptions for 1,049 yards and 8 TDs. Running back Justice Hill rushed for 1,347 yards and 14 TDs. These guys are a juggernaut. Defensive tackle Dequinton Osborne has 11 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks to lead the team. The team has 92 tackles for loss, which is top 20 nationally. Cornerback A.J. Green led the team in interceptions with 4, and linebacker Justin Phillips has 2 ints both of which he’s taken back for house calls.

For VA Tech, true freshman Josh Jackson has done a solid job at quarterback. Jackson has completed 214-of-355 passes for 2,743 yards, 19 TDs against 8 ints. His leading target, Cam Phillips, is out after having sports hernia surgery recently. So Jackson will rely more on Sean Savoy, who caught 39 passes for 454 yards and 4 TDs, and Eric Kumah, who caught 23 passes for 252 yards and a TD. The Phillips loss is a blow to the passing game. VA Tech’s leading rusher is Deshawn McClease, who rushed for 406 yards and 3 TDs. Jackson added 4 TDs on the ground.

Bud Foster’s defense will keep the Hokies in this game. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds led the team in tackles with 101, and added 14 TFLs, and 5 1/2 sacks. Cornerback Greg Stroman posted 4 ints on the season and took 1 back to the house. Safety Reggie Floyd picked off 3 passes and took one in for a house call.

Final Analysis

I really like Justin Fuente. He makes former Hokie iconic coach Frank Beamer always feel welcome in Blacksburg. He’s an outstading person and coach. But this is a tough one for him and Bud Foster, another exceptional person and defensive coordinator. This offense they’re facing is like a supesonic jet coming at you at Mach 3. It’s tough to defend. I don’t see the Hokies having enough offense to keep up with this dynamic Cowboys offense. Foster and the defense will keep it close for a while, but the VA Tech offense won’t be able to do enough to overcome this massively explosive offense.

Oklahoma State 42, VA Tech 31

 

Valero Alamo Bowl

Stanford (9-4, 7-2 PAC-12) vs TCU (10-3, 7-2 Big 12)

Alamodome, San Antonio, 72,000

8 PM CT

ESPN

Rece Davis, Joseph Galloway, Dave Pollack, Quint Kessenich

Refs, SEC, Ken Williamson

TCU by 3

The Cardinal put together a solid year but lost twice to USC, including the PAC-12 championship game, so they came up a little bit short of their goal of winning the conference title and the New Year’s Six Bowl that goes with it. Still, running back Bryce Love played some legendary football, rushing for 1,973 yards and 17 TDs which earned him a trip to New York for the Heisman where he finished second in the voting. He’s superb and has a phenomenal future ahead of him at the next level if he can stay healthy. He battled a sprained ankle for much of the latter half of the season but played through it and played well. Quarterback K.J. Costello took over midway through the season and  completed 110-of-184 passes, 60%, for 1,386 yards, 11 TDs and 2 ints. HIs leading receiver is J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who is big at 6’3″, 232, and caught 43 passes for 720 yards and 6 TDs. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips finished the season posting 89 tackles, 14 1/2 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks. He is a major disrupter in the middle and highly athletic. Stanford finished the season with 16 interceptions led by safety Justin Reed, who picked off 5 and also led the team in tackles with 92. This is a solid football team.

For TCU, they kind of suffered the same fate as Stanford did as they couldn’t beat Oklahoma, losing to them in the regular season and in the Big 12 Championship game. Kenny Hill finished the season completing 242-of-360 passes, 67%, for 2,838 yards, 21 TDs against 6 ints. Darius Anderson rushed for 768 yards and 8 TDs, and Kyle Hicks added 597 yards and 4 TDs.  Hill’s leading receivers are the explosive KaVontae Turpin who caught 38 passes for 382 yards and a TD, and Desmon White who caught 38 for 390 and 4 TDs. Jalen Reagor finished with 28 receptions for 407 yards and 7 TDs. On defense, defensive end Matt Boesen posted 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 11 1/2 sacks, while the other book end, Ben Banogu, added 15 1/2 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Travin Howard led the team in tackles with 98 and took an int back to the house. Safety Ridwan Issahaku was second on the team in tackles with 66 and took and int in for a house call.  

Decision

This should be an electric game in a lot of ways. It’s hard to go against Bryce Love, but I’ll take the Horned Frogs in a shootout.

TCU 41, Stanford 37

 

Holiday Bowl

Michigan State (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) vs. Washington State (9-3, 6-3 PAC 12)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, 70,561

8 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Gus, Joel, Jenny 

Refs: SEC, Marc Curles

Michigan State by 2 1/2

I like the Spartans to control the Washington State passing game and for running back L.J. Scott (785 yards, 6 TDs) to have a stellar night. This should be another thriller though. 

Michigan State 31, Washington State 28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a look at today’s 4 bowls.

Walk-On’s Independence Bowl

Southern Miss (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) vs. Florida State (6-6, 3-5)

Independence Bowl Stadium, Shreveport, LA. (65,000)

12:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave LaMont, Ahmad Brooks, Roddy Jones

Refs, MAC, Greg Sujack

FSU by 14 1/2 

Southern Miss running back Ito Smith has rushed for 1,321 yards and 13 TDs. He’s excellent. Quarterback Kwandre Griggs has completed 135-of-240 passes, 56%, for 1,793 yards, 15 TDs against 2 ints. He’s another guy who’s done a nice job for the Golden Eagles. Korey Robertson is their leading receiver with 72 receptions on the season for 1,070 yards and 11 TDs. On defense, linebacker Paxton Schrimsher posted 11 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks to lead the team. Nickelback Kelsey Douglas has 2 ints on the season both of which he’s taken back to the house.

For Florida State, freshman James Blackmon took over in the first game of the season at the end of the Alabama game when Deondre Francois was lost for the season with a knee injury. Blackmon has talent and has gotten better and better. He completed 155-of-271 passes for 1,997 yards, 15 TDs and 11 ints. FSU beat Florida impressively on Nov. 25th, 38-22, and Blackmon tossed a pair of TD passes. He’s had some pretty good moments and shows a lot of potential though Francois will be back next season and that could be an interesting competition particularly if Blackmon has a good game today. Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick are the workhorses at running back. Akers has rushed for 931 yards and 7 TDs and Patrick has 687 yards and 6 TDs this season. Nyquon Murray has caught 40 passes for 604 and 4 TDs. Auden Tate caught 35 passes for 464 yards and 7 TDs, and tight end Ryan Izzo is a good target,. He has only 14 receptions on the season, but Blackmon was not as proficient as Francois, thus the reason Izzo didn’t get the ball more. He did post 3 TD receptions. He’s a weapon. On defense, safety Derwin James is sitting this one out for the draft along with defensive end Josh Sweat and wide receiver Ermon Lane. Leading tackler linebacker Matthew Thomas is out for the game for undisclosed reasons. Defensive end Brian Burns has posted 12 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks. Cornerback Levonta Taylor has posted 2 interceptions and taken 1 of them back to the house.

Note: Nyquon Murray is a late scratch for the game

Final Analysis

I don’t know if FSU cares at all about being here, but maybe interim coach Odell Haggins can get enough out of them to get a victory over a Southern Miss team that will be pretty hungry. FSU has a long way to go before they can become elite again. Willie Taggert has his work cut out for him next year and beyond that. And this might be a tougher game than the Noles are anticipating. Ito Smith is an excellent running back, and with all the FSU defections, and some suspensions and injuries, FSU is limping in here. I like FSU, but it should be a competitive game for a good while.

Florida State 31, Southern Miss 24

 

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Iowa (7-5, 4-5)

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York (54,251)

4:15 PM CT

ESPN

Kevin Negandhi, Mack Brown, Booger McFarland, Jen Lada

Refs: PAC-12, Terry Leyden

Iowa by 2 1/2

BC running back A.J Dillon has rushed for 1,432 yards and 13 TDs and safety Lukas Dennis has 7 ints this season, and, along with Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson and Florida Atlantic’s Jalen Young, lead the country in that category. Boston College starting quarterback Anthony Brown was having a really good season but suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the last 3 games. Darius Wade has done a nice job in his place completing 46-of-passes for 528, 2 TDs and 1 int. I like the running game and the defense of Boston College to enable them to pull off the upset in the Bronx. . 

Boston College 31, Iowa 21

 

Foster Farms Bowl

Purdue (6-6, 4-5) vs. Arizona (7-5, 5-4)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California, 68,500

7:30 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman

Refs: Big 12,  Brad Van Vark

‘Zona by 3

I like Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate, who threw for 1,289 yards and 9 TDs, against 8 ints though, and rushed for 1,353 yards and 12 more TDs, to have a huge game and lead Zona to the victory on the left coast.

Zona 42, Purdue 35

 

Academy Sports+ Outdoors Texas Bowl

Missouri (7-5, 4-4 SEC) vs. Texas (6-6, 5-4 Big 12)

NRG Stadium, Houston, 72,220

8 PM 

ESPN

Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath

Refs: PAC-12, Mark Duddy

MIssouri by 3

Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock completed 224-of-385 passes for 3,695 yards, 43 TDs against 12 ints, to lead the team. The Tigers lost offensive coordinator Josh Heupel and o line coach Glen Elarbee to Central Florida as Huepel was named the head coach, so that could be a factor. But I still like the Tigers because Texas is dysfunctional right now with suspensions, guys not playing because of the draft, and injuries. It will be a competitive game though. Tom Herman will get the most out of his team and his defense will keep the Horns in it. 

Missouri 24, Texas 20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s wall to wall bowl games this week and that’s exciting. Today Utah squares off with West Virginia in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, then Duke faces Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl and Kansas State and UCLA cap off the day in the Cactus Bowl.

Here’s a look at today’s 3 bowl games with predictions.

First week bowls: 5-8

Overall: 215-87, 71%

 

Heart of Dallas Bowl

Utah (6-6, 3-6 PAC-12) vs. West Virginia (7-5, 5-4 Big 12)

Cotton Bowl, Big D, 92,100

12:30 PM CT

ESPN

Ray Philpott, Rene Ingoglia, Kris Budden

Whistles: ACC, Jeff Maconaghy

Utah by 6 1/2

Utah

The Utes are 10-1 in bowl games under Kyle Whittingham with their only loss coming in 2010, 26-3, to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.  That’s stout. Whittingham has been head coach for since 2005, 13 years. Quarterback Tyler Huntley was hurt for 3 games this season including the finale, a 34-13 victory over Colorado, which clinched a bowl berth for the Utes. Senior Troy Williams took over in the Colorado game and did well, but Huntley is back. He completed 187-of-286 passes, 65%, for 2,246 yards, 15 TDs against 10 interceptions. He threw too many interceptions which has to be a concern for Whittingham heading into today. But Huntley is explosive. He rushed for 480 yards and 4 more TDs. But if Utah has really got it going 2 playmakers stand out. Zack Moss has rushed for 1,023 yards and 9 TDs, and Oregon transfer, wide out Darren Carrington, has caught 66 passes for 918 yards and 6 TDs. They are explosive, take it to the house players. Moss mixes power with speed and Carrington catches about everything thrown his way and is highly explosive in the open field. 

Utah plays physical ball, both on the offensive line and on defense. Defensive end Bradley Anae has 10 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. Middle linebacker Sunia Tauteoli posted 10 tackles for loss and an interception. Utah has 12 ints on the season with cornerback Julian Blackman and safety Corrion Bullard leading the way with 2 apiece. Their punter and kicker are good. Mitch Wishnowsky averages 44.7 yards per punt, and kicker Matt Gay is 27 of 31 in field goal attempts, and 37-of-37 in extra points, which doesn’t seem like a gimme this year with some college kickers. 

West Virginia

The Mountaineers are really hamstrung in this game without quarterback Will Grier, who is out with a broken finger he suffered in mid November. Chris Chugunov will take over. He completed 34-of-62 passes, 55%, for 407 yards, 2 TDs and 0 ints in 2 starts.  Additionally, tailback Justin Crawford is sitting this one out to get ready for the draft. Crawford rushed for 1,080 yards and 7 TDs. Kennedy McKoy will take over. McKoy rushed for 570 yards and 7 TDs. The Mountaineers have an excellent receiving corps led by David Sills, who caught 60 passes for 980 yards and 18 TDs. Ka’raun White caught 58 passes for 978 yards and 11 TDs. Gary Jennings has 94 receptions for 1030 yards, but only 1 TD catch on the season.

On defense, West VA is led by middle linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton who has posted 102 tackles to lead the team. Benton is the co-leader on the team in tackles for loss with 13 and posted 3 sacks. Outside linebacker David Long also has 13 tackles for loss as part of his 69 tackles. Defensive end Ezekiel Rose leads the defense in sacks with 4. The Mountaineers have 11 ints on the season led by safety Kenny Robinson and nickelback Kyzir White who have 3 apiece. Robinson has taken 2 back to the house.

Decision

It’s hard to go against Whittingham and the Utes in bowl games, obviously, and West Virginia is hampered by Grier’s injury and Crawford’s decision not to play. But West Virginia will score. Coach Dana Holgerson always figures out a way to do that. It should be a pretty competitive game, but I like the Utes to come out on top at the end.

Utah 34, West VA. 27

 

Quick Lane Bowl

Duke (6-6, 3-5 ACC) vs. Northern Illinois (8-4, 6-2 MAC)

Ford Field, Detroit, 65,000

4:15 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Couzens, Ray Bentley, Allison Williams

Stripes; SEC, James Carter

Duke by 5 1/2

Duke

The Blue Devils qualified for the Quick Lane by defeating Wake Forest on the road, 31-23, to finish off the season. The Blue Devils also defeated No. 21 Northwestern at home, 41-17, in the second game of the season. The Devils also have a quality victory over Georgia Tech, 43-20, in the next to last game of the season also. That was at home So Duke’s in a good place right now heading into the game. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 230-of-413 passes, 56%, for 2,439 yards, 12 TDs, but 11 ints. Jones also rushed for 432 yards and 6 TDs. Running back Shaun Wilson rushed for 743 yards and 5 TDs. Wilson also caught 32 passes for 241 yards and 3 TDs. Duke’s leading receiver is T. J. Rahming, who has 61 receptions for 733 yards and a TD. On defense, the Blue Devils are led by linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, who has 117 tackles, 15 for loss and 3 sacks. All those totals lead the team. Cornerback Mark Gilbert leads the team with 6 interceptions. Corner Byron Fields has 3 ints, 2 of which he’s taken back for house calls. Their punter and kicker is Austin Parker who averages 42 yards per punt, and is 17-of-21 on field goals this season, 81%.

Northern Illinois?

The Huskies have a solid record at 8-4, and defeated Nebraska, 21-17, the third game of this season, but lost its final game to Central Michigan, 31-24 which just got blasted in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl by Wyoming,  37-14. Quarterback Marcus Childers has put together a solid year completing 137-of-239 passes, 57%, for 1,445 yards, 15 TDs and 5 ints. He has also rushed for 459 yards and 5 more TDs. Running back Jordan Huff rushed for 740 yards and 4 TDs. Note****Huff is out with ankle injury.*** The Huskies leading receivers are Christian Blake and Spencer Tears. Blake has 39 receptions on the season and 4 TDs. And Tears’ stat line is almost identical as he has also caught 39 passes for 461 yards and 4 TDs. Defensive end Sutton Smith leads the country in tackles for loss at 29 and is second nationally in sacks with 14. Joe Ostman of Central Michigan led the country because he had 14 solo sacks while Smith had 12. 

Verdict

I always like Duke coach David Cutcliffe if Duke is in a toss up game. Not going against him this time either. Like the Blue Devils to win pretty easily in the Motor City.

Duke 45, Northern Illinois 28

 

Cactus Bowl

Kansas State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) vs. UCLA (6-6, 4-5 PAC-12)

Chase Field, Phoenix, 48, 519

8 PM CT

ESPN

Jason Benetti, Jordan Rodgers, Olivia Harlan

Refs: ACC, Jerry Magallanes

K State by 6 1/2

 

Kansas State

The Wildcats under 78 year old Bill Snyder defeated Oklahoma State on the road, 45-40, and Iowa State, 20-19 at home, to finish off the season and qualify for the Cactus Bowl. Quarterback Skylar Thompson took over for the injured Jesse Ertz and completed 48-of-76 passes, 63%, for 662 yards 5 TDs and 2 ints. In his last 2 games, Thompson threw 4 TDs against 0 ints. Thompson also rushed for 263 more yards and 3 TDs. Running back Alex Barnes led the team in rushing with 702 yards and 6 TDs. Isaiah Zuber pulled in 51 passes for 510 yards and 4 TDs. Byron Pringle added 28 receptions for 705 yards and a team leading 6 TDs. Defensively, linebacker Trent Tanking led the team in tackles with 96. Linebacker Jayd Kirby was second in tackles with 93 and led the team with 10 1/2 for loss and 4 sacks. Cornerback D.J. Reed led the team in interceptions with 4. Safety Kendall Adams posted 3 ints and took one of them back to the house. Corner Duke Shelley had 2 ints and took one back for a house call as well. The Wildcats special teams are outstanding. Reed has taken a punt and a kickoff back to the house, and Pringle has also posted a house call on a kickoff return. Punter Nick Walsh is averaging 43.7 yards per punt and kicker Matthew McCrane is 21-of-26 on field goals, 81%. So that’s a huge advantage for K State.

UCLA

The Bruins opened the season with great promise coming back from a huge deficit to defeat Texas A&M, 45-44 in the final seconds. Junior quarterback Josh Rosen was spectacular in that game and has a resume that is highly interesting to pro scouts. He’s top 5 draft pick material and maybe the 1st pick overall, but he may want to come back and not be sentenced to Cleveland.  The tough news for the Bruins is Rosen is doubtful with a concussion, so they’ll go with Devon Modster, who completed 30-of-45 passes, 67%, for 376 yards, 2 TDs and 0 ints. They’ve also fired coach Jim Mora and hired Chip Kelly, who is considered a home run hire, but I’m withholding judgment on that. While Kelly had good success at Oregon, he was a disaster in the pros at Philly and San Francisco. So I’m not sure if he can become a good coach again. Maybe he’s just cut out for the college game and he’ll excel in LA. His ability to get UCLA to PAC-12 champion contender on a yearly basis is subject to debate. He has to out-recruit USC and the other schools in the PAC-12, so I’ll reserve commentary on him until next season. Also, we’ll see how his first recruiting class looks like. Jedd Fisch will be the interim coach for the Bruins in this game. Fisch was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Mora this season. Tnis will be his last game at UCLA unfortunately. Bolu Olorunfunmi led the team in rushing with 542 yards and 5 TDs. Soso Jamabo is also a solid running back as he rushed for 447 yards and 6 TDs. Wide receiver Jordan Lasley led the team with 61 receptions for 1,136 yards and 8 TDs. Darren Andrews led the team in TD receptions with 10 and caught 60 passes for 773 yards. On defense, outside linebacker Kenny Young led the team in tackles with 101, and added 7 1/2 tackles for loss, while defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner tied Young for the team lead with 7 1/2 tackles for loss and led the team with 5 1/2 sacks. Cornerback Darnay Holmes led the team in ints with 2, one of which he returned for a house call. The Bruins only had 7 ints on the season though, so not a real ball hawking defense. Kicker J.J. Molson converted 16-of-20 field goals and 47-of-48 PATs, while punter Stefan Flintoft averaged 43 yards per punt.

Final call

UCLA was pretty dysfunctional this season and there is still some uncertainty on the team with a new coach coming in and their quarterback possibly leaving for the NFL draft and most likely out for this game unless the Bruins are sandbagging. Kansas State looks solid and had a couple of super victories to finish off the year. Like the Wildcats to take home the Cactus Bowl Trophy to Manhattan, KS, or better known as the Little Apple. 

Kansas State 38, UCLA 30

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday

UAB got clobbered by Ohio, 41-6, and Wyoming stud quarterback Josh Allen, who’s looking like a possible elite NFL quarterback in the future, defeated Central Michigan, 37-14. Wyoming got 8 turnovers off of Central Michigan.

It just wasn’t the Blazers’ day in Nassau. Good season even though the victories were against weaker competition. But a tough ending. A lot to be optimistic for next season though, I guess. You never know. 

Birmingham Bowl

Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) vs. South Florida (9-2, 6-2 American Athletic)

Legion Field, 71,594

11 AM

ESPN

Tom Hart, Chiz, Lauren Sisler

Refs: MAC, Ron Hudson

South Florida by 3

Texas Tech has an air raid attack. Quarterback Nic Shimonek completed 296-of-434 passes, 68%, for 3,547 yards, 30 TDs against 8 ints. HIs leading receiver is the explosive Keke Coutee who pulled in 85 passes for 1,242 yards and 9 TDs. The USF offense is commandeered by quarterback Quinton Flowers who threw for 21 TDs against 6 ints, and ran for 972 more yards and 10 TDs. Darius Tice posted 878 yards and 11 TDs and D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 745 yards and 7 TDs. The defense posted 18 interceptions, which is tied for 7th in the country. Devin Abraham led the team with 4. Linebacker Auggie Sanchez intercepted 2 passes and took both of them back to the house.

The winner of this game will take care of the ball better and run it better and be efficient throwing the ball. I really think the winner of the turnover battle wins in B’ham as their is a lot of rain expected. I like the Bulls with their ball hawking defense to get the W.

South Florida 24, Texas Tech 20

 

 

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Army Black Knights (9-3) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (10-2, 6-2 Mountain West)

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX, 50,00

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Adam Amin, Mack Brown, Paul Carcaterra

Refs: Big Ten, Ron Snodgrass

SDSU by 6 1/2

I want to pick the Cadets. I really like their football team. Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw is terrific as he rushed for 1,566 yards and 12 TDs this season. Fullback Darnell Woolfolk added 725 yards and 12 TDs himself. West Point defeated Duke, 21-16, Temple-a Gasparilla Bowl winner the other night over FIU- 31-28, and defeated the Midshipmen of Navy in a classic in Philly, 14-13. They’re a really solid team. But Rashaad Penny is a guy who’s aiming to impress the pro scouts in this one. The senior rushed for 2,027 yards and 19 TDs this season. He’s fantastic. I just don’t think the Cadets have an answer for him today. This will be a competitive game though.

San Diego State 38, Army 31

 

Dollar General Bowl

Toledo Rockets (11-2, 7-1 MAC)  vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-4, 7-1 Sun Belt)

Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, 40,000

6 PM

ESPN

Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport

Refs, Mountain West, Kevin Hassell

Toledo by 6 1/2

Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside completed 248-of-382 passes, 65%, for 3,758 yards, 28 TDs against 5 ints. His leading target is Diontae Johnson, who caught 72 passes for 1,257 yards and 13 TDs. Running back Terry Swanson rushed for 1,319 yards and 14 TDs. On defense, linebacker Adeniyi Olasunkanmi posted 19 1/2 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks. Safety Kahlil Robinson led the team in ints with 4. 

App State quarterback Taylor Lamb completed 198 of 321 passes, 62%, for 2,606 yards, 27 TDs against only 6 ints. Jalin Moore rushed for 912 yards and 9 TDs. Ike Lewis caught 47 passes for 666 yards and 8 TDs, and wide out Thomas Hennigan caught 44 passes for 556 yards and 7 TDs. Linebacker Eric Buggs led the team in tackles with 97, and cornerback Clifton Duck was the the team leader in interceptions with 5.

I’m going to take the upset here. I like App State to knock off Toledo in a bowl game for the second year in a row after defeating them 31-28 last year in the Camellia Bowl. I do expect a highly competitive contest in the Port City.

App State 38, Toledo 35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UAB Blazers capped off a spectacular 2017 season with an 8-4 record after restarting its football program that was disbanded in 2014. Coach Bill Clark has done a sensational job of revitalizing the Southside and is developing a winning machine in B’ham, the medical capital of the South. 

The Blazers have had the pleasure of traveling to the Bahamas and competing in the Bahamas Bowl. Here’s a look at the Blazers game along with the Wyoming-Central Michigan matchup in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Bahamas Bowl 

UAB (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) vs. Ohio (8-4. 5-3 Mid American, MAC)

Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau (15,023)

11 AM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Dez Howard, Laura Rutledge

Laundry: American Athletic, Vogue CEO, Charles Lamertina

Ohio by 6 1/2

 

UAB

The Blazers have some solid victories this season in games where they were the underdog. They lost to Florida in the Swamp, 36-7, in a game they weren’t that competitive in, and lost to Ball State the second game of the season, 51-31. They also lost at Charlotte, 25-24 in overtime, and North Texas, 46-43. North Texas just lost to a very good Troy team, 50-30, in the R+L Carriers Bowl last Saturday in N’Awlins. But 3 of those losses were in the first 7 games. The Blazers won 4 of their last 5  falling only to the Gators. They’e are solid and positioned well for the future in the Magic City.

Junior quarterback A. J. Erdely had a super year completing 181 of 293 passes, 62%, for 2,077 yards, 16 TDs against only 4 interceptions. He also ran for 13 TDs. Freshman tailback Spencer Brown was just as good, rushing for 1,292 yards and 10 TDs. Wide receiver Andre Wilson caught 48 passes for 619 yards and 6 TDs, and Collin Lisa, a really fine possession, Wes Welker, Danny Amendola-type receiver, caught 29 passes for 384 yards and a TD. On defense, middle linebacker Tevin Crews led the team with 95 tackles. He tied for the lead in tackles for loss with linebacker Shaq Jones as both posted  12 TFLs. Free Safety Broderick Thomas added 86 tackles. Junior cornerback D.A. Williams led the team in ints with 5, one of which was a house call. 

This is a solid football team and amped up for the second bowl game in program history. The first one was an L in  the Hawaii Bowl to Hawaii, 59-40. The Blazers joined the FBS in 1996, when it was called NCAA Division 1. 

Ohio

Frank Solich does a solid job in Athens, Ohio. They always finish around 8-4 or 7-5. They’re competition is not as fierce, but they play sound football. They beat Big 12  competitor Kansas, 42-30, at home, and they defeated MAC champion Toledo, 38-10. Toledo very good and playing App State Saturday in the Dollar General Bowl in Mobile. So the Bobcats have some solid victories on their resume. They lost to Purdue on the road, 44-21, and lost to Buffalo at the end of the season, 31-24, at Buffalo. But Buffalo was a pretty good team that won 6 games but was left out of the bowls because there were too many teams eligible, and Buffalo got the short end of the stick. The Bobcats play hard and don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re not majorly explosive, but will test the Blazers and are the favorite in Nassau. 

Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 149 of 275 passes, 54%, for 2,031 yards, 15 TDs and 7 interceptions. Rourke, who was pretty stellar in the MAC, rushed for 877 yards and 21 TDs. The Bobcats leading rusher is A.J. Ouellette, who has 985 yards on the season and 7 TDs. But Ouellette is doubtful for today’s game due to injury. ***Update, Ouellette is playing. Wide receiver Brendan Cope leads the team in receptions with 35 for 494 yards and 4 TDs. Papi White is their big play guys with 32 catches for 475 yards and2 TDs. He’s their take it to the house guy. On defense, middle linebacker Quentin Poling has posted 101 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Outside linebacker Chad Moore leads the defense in ints with 3, and cornerback Bradd Ellis has 2, both of which he’s taken to the house.

Final call

I really like the way the Blazers are playing. I’m highly bullish on Bill Clark and what he’s doing on the Southside. Ohio is solid, but the Blazers are hot. C-USA has had a good showing during the bowl season going 4-4, and I like the Blazers to keep it going and win their first ever bowl game in school history and build on what could be a terrific future.

UAB 35, Ohio 24

 

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Wyoming (7-5, 5-3 Mountain West) vs Central Michigan (8-4, 6-2 MAC)

Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho, 36,387

3 PM CT

ESPN

Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey, Alex Coddry

Yello: C-USA, Steve LaMantia 

Wyoming by 3

The big question over the last couple of weeks in preparation for the Idaho Potato Bowl was, could NFL first round prospect Josh Allen start at quarterback for the Cowboys. Allen is a go. Allen has the prototypical size for an NFL QB at 6’5″, 222, and has a cannon for an arm. He didn’t put up massive numbers this season completing 141-of-251 passes, 56%, for 1,658 yards, 13 TDs against 6 ints, but he has the next level talent. He missed the Cowboys last 2 games of the season with a shoulder injury, and they lost both of those games and there were questions on whether he would play. But he wants to, and that’s cool. The Cowboys were 7-3 with him under center, so he’s critical to the Cowboys’ success today against the Chippewas today. His leading receiver is C.J. Johnson, who has 27 receptions for 468 yards and 6 TDs. Allen has rushed for 5 TDs. The Cowboys’ leading rusher is Trey Woods, who’s scampered for 474 yards and 2 TDs. They have a weapon in their kickoff return game in Tyler Hall who’s taken 2 kicks back to the house. On defense, strong safety Andrew Wingard leads the team in tackles with 111 and has 4 ints on the season. Defensive end Carl Granderson leads the team in tackles for loss with 15 and sacks with 7 1/2. He’s a disruptive force.

For Central Michigan, quarterback Shane Morris has completed 226-of-407 passes, 56%, for 2,908 yards, 26 TDs, but 13 ints. The Chippewas leading rusher is Jonathan Ward, who has rushed for 988 yards and 9 TDs. Mark Chapman has caught 54 passes for 805 yards and 5 TDs and fellow wide out Corey Willis has 42 receptions for 625 yards and 9 house calls. The offense is explosive.

On defense, defensive end Joe Ostman has 17 1/2 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, tied for 16th in the country. Cornerback Sean Bunting has picked off 5 passes. 

Prediction

I like Josh Allen to play well. He wants to do well for his team, as he sounds like a team guy, and he wants to impress the NFL scouts who will be there to see him compete. I like Allen and Wyoming to win in Boise. But I see this as a competitive game. 

Wyoming 31, Central Michigan 27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These bowl names are totally classic. 

Last night

LA Tech 51, SMU 10

Rough start for new SMU coach Sonny Dykes in Frisco. It was painful. Sorry Bama and Walter, I missed this one badly. LA Tech coach Skip Holtz is super solid. The Bulldogs were awesome on both sides of the ball. C-USA is on fire at 4-2 in the bowl games. Crafty O’Neal is a happy guy right now. He’ll be even happier if his Blazers come through tomorrow against Ohio in the Bahamas Bowl. Nice trip for the Blazers. 

Tonight

Bad Boys Mowers Gaspirilla Bowl

Florida International Panthers (8-4, 5-3 CUSA) vs. Temple Owls (6-6, 4-4 American Athletic)

Tropicana Field, St. Pete, FL. (42,735)

7 CT

ESPN

Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr., Roddy Jones

Whistles: MAC, Tim O’Dey, Aladdin Lead Lauderer

Temple by 7

 

The Panthers

Butch Davis has done a superb job with his FIU football team. He’s quite a coach. They defeated Marshall, 41-30, on Oct. 28th which is an impressive victory considering Marshall just upset Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl, 31-28, last Saturday in Albuquerque and  looked very solid in the process. The Panthers lost to UCF in their season opener, 61-17, lost to Camellia Bowl winner Middle Tennessee, 37-17, and lost to Florida Atlantic, 52-24 on Nov. 18th, but finished the season with impressive victories over Western Kentucky, 41-17, and UMass, 63-45. Western Ky lost last Saturday in the Cure Bowl to Georgia State, 27-17. Middle Tennessee defeated Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl last Saturday in Montgomery, 35-30.

But I watched the UMass victory in which the Panthers lit up the scoreboard with some major offense. Quarterback Alex McGough has completed 231-of-354 passes, 65%, for 2,791 yards and 17 TDs against 8 ints. Running back Alex Gardner has rushed for 765 yards and 6 TDs. Their leading wide receiver, Thomas Owens, who hauled in 59 passes for 887 yards and 6 TDs, has been out with an injury and will miss this game. But freshman Bryce Singleton had a massive game against UMass catching 6 passes for 111 yards and 3 TDs. McGough completed 20-of-25 passes for 295 yards and 3 TDs and 1 int vs UMass, and Garnder rushed for 108 yards and 2 TDs. This is offense is high octane.

On defense, linebacker Treyvon Williams leads the team in tackles with 82. Williams has 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Defensive end Fermin Silva is dominant off the edge with 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. Cornerback Brad Muhammed has 4 interceptions on the season. He’s taken 1 back to the house. 

The Owls

Temple is led by Coach Geoff Collins who has SEC roots as a defensive coordinator under former MS. State coach and now Florida coach Dan Mullen, and as a d coordinator under former Florida coach Jim McElwain. The Owls have been a solid team also. 

Frank Nutile has taken over at quarterback from the injured Logan Marchi, and has done a stellar job for the most part, completing 104-of-171 passes, 61%, for 1,346 yard and 11 TDs. He has thrown 7 interceptions in 7 games though. The Owls leading rusher is Ryquell Armstead , who has for 553 yards on 141 carries, only 3.9 per carry with 4 TDs. Keith Kirkwood is the Owls leading receiver with 39 receptions for 575 yards and 7 TDs. 

On defense, the Owls are tied for 13th nationally in tackles for loss with 78 for a loss of 360 yards. Northern Illinois, “are you kiddin me?”, leads the country with 91 for -418 yards. Defensive end Sharif Finch, leads the defense in tackles for loss with 12 1/2 and has added 7 1/2 sacks. The other bookend, Jacob Martin, has posted 11 1/2 tackles for loss and is the team leader in sacks with 8. Defensive tackle Jullian Martin has added 10 tackles for loss. Linebacker Shaun Bradley leads the team in tackles with 81 and has posted 10 for loss. Strong safety Delvon Randall is the team leader in interceptions with 4. 

Temple lost to Notre Dame in game one, 49-10, at South Bend, and has losses to South Florida, 43-7, on the road, Houston, 20-13, at home, UConn, 28-24, at home, Army, 31-28, at West Point, and UCF, 45-19, at home. But they were victorious in their last game of the season at Tulsa, 43-22, and captured a huge victory over Navy, 34-26, at home on Oct. 21st in which Nutile and the team were super impressive.

Verdict

I like both of these teams, but I’m bullish on Butch Davis and this explosive Panthers’ offense. I like the Panthers in an upset. C-USA keeps on cookin.  

FIU 38, Temple 31

 

Frisco Bowl

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6-6, 4-4 C-USA) vs. SMU Mustangs (7-5, 4-4 American Athletic)

Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas (20,500 capacity), Frisco is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area 

7 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Couzens John Congemi, Kris Budden

Stripes: Sun Belt, Ted Pitts, lead whistle

SMU by 4

 

Louisiana Tech

The Bulldogs, coached by Skip Holtz, lost to Mississippi State, 57-21, in week 2, South Carolina, 17-16, in week 4, and UAB, 23-22, in week 6. Their other losses came to Southern Miss, North Texas and Florida Atlantic, which played a heckuva game last night in the Boca Raton Bowl defeating Akron, 50-3. Lane Kiffin has it cookin’ in Boca Raton, and has many players returning including stud running back Devin Singletary and quarterback Jason Driskel. Both played spectacularly well last night and the FAU defense was equally fantastic. Kiff signed a 10 year extension with FAU yesterday that keeps him in Boca Raton through 2027. Interesting. I’d like to see that happen. He could take the Owls to some major heights. With the recruiting pool in Florida, there are super players to be had by every team in the state, Florida, FSU, Miami, Central Florida, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and Florida International. A lot of competition in the state, but that’s called recruiting. It’s as competitive as it gets and Kiffin sure did well for himself last night with that performance. He can start landing some higher rated guys now who want to play an exciting brand of football.  He can excel there. It will probably be hard to keep him if he has a lot of success, but we’ll see. Florida Atlantic opens the season in 2018 @ Oklahoma. 

LA Tech has been competitive in most games. They defeated Cure Bowl participant Western Kentucky, 23-22, on the road. Western Kentucky lost to Georgia State in their bowl. The Bulldogs also defeated Northwestern State, South Alabama, Rice, UTEP, and USTA- Texas-San Antonio.

The Bulldogs quarterback, J’mar Smith, has completed 214-of-386 passes, 55%, for 2,758 yards, 13 TDs and 5 interceptions. Running back Boston Scott has rushed for 937 yards on 163 carries, 5.7 average, and 8 TDs. He has also caught 20 passes for 181 yards and another TD. Jarred Craft has rushed for 516 yards on 111 carries, 4.6 average, with 3 TDs and has added 13 receptions for 74 yards and 2 TDs. The Bulldogs leading receiver is Teddy Veal who has caught 69 passes for 832 yards and 5 TDs. Rhashid Bonnette, has pulled in 32 passes for 576 yards and 2 TDs. On defense, linebacker Dae’Von Washington leads the team in tackles with 66. He also has 2 interceptions. Defensive end Jaylon Ferguson has posted 11 1/2 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. LA Tech has 16 interceptions on the season, which is tied for 12th nationally. Safety DeMarion King, safety Darryl Lewis, and corner Trey Spencer have each taken 1 back to the house. 

 

SMU

The Ponies have losses to TCU, 56-36, Houston, 35-22, Central Florida, 31-24, Navy, 43-40, and Memphis, 66-45. They really don’t have any quality victories. They defeated Camellia Bowl loser Arkansas State, which lost to Middle Tennessee on Saturday in Montgomery. The Ponies are led by quarterback Ben Hicks, who has completed 257-of-938 passes, 59%, for 3,442 yards, 32 TDs and 9 ints. His leading receivers are all world guys, Trey Quinn, who has caught 106 passes for 1,191 yards and 12 TDs, and potential high NFL draft choice Courtland Sutton, who has caught 62 passes for 1,017 yards and 12 TDs. Sutton has been double and sometimes triple covered this season, so that’s opened things up for Quinn. Sutton is supposed to be playing, haven’t read he’s sitting out for the draft, so he’s expected to play. The Mustangs leading rusher is Xavier Jones who’s rushed for 1,019 yards on the season and 9 TDs. Ke’Mon Freeman added 527 yards and 11 TDs.

On defense, safety Mikial Onu leads the team with 93 tackles. Defensive end Justin Lawler has 15 1/2 tackles for loss and linebacker-safety Kyran Mitchell has 14 1/2 tackles for loss. Cornerback Jordan Wyatt leads the defense with 4 interceptions. He’s taken 2 of them back to the house. 

Verdict

Chad Morris left SMU a couple of weeks ago to take the head coaching job at Arkansas. Morris will try to revive an SEC West program that has hit the skids lately. He’ll have his work cut out for him against S, Gus, and the others.

Sonny Dykes has taken over as head coach and WILL be the head coach tonight. The interesting thing about that, aside from him taking over tonight,  is that he was the head coach at LA Tech from 2010-2012 before leaving to become the head coach at Cal where he coached from 2013 until he was fired in 2016. He was an offensive analyst for TCU this past season. That makes this game really interesting. LA Tech was victorious in Fort Worth last year defeating Navy, 48-45, in the Armed Forces Bowl. I’ll take the Ponies, but in a thriller. 

 

SMU 45, LA Tech 40